When fall comes around, there is no reason to abandon one of the best things about summer…ice cream! Instead of meeting up for a cocktail, my girlfriends and I love to gossip with a good dish of our favorite flavor. Making ice cream at home is much easier than I ever thought; you just need the right appliance. I have the ice cream attachment for my KitchenAid standing mixer and I adore it.

I love to experiment with different flavors and mix-ins. My latest creation is Carmel Apple Pie ice cream. Follow these steps and use the instructions for your own ice cream maker to enjoy this fall treat.

Ingredients:

Ice Cream:

2 c. half & half

2 c. heavy whipping cream

1 c. sugar

6 egg yolks

3 TBSP pure vanilla extract

a pinch of salt

Mix-ins:

6-8 graham crackers broken into pieces (I use a food processor)

1 can of apple pie filling, chopped (again, I use the food processor)

Half a jar of caramel topping

To make the ice cream:

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, heat the half and half until hot, but not boiling. Stir often. Remove from heat.

Mix egg yolks and sugar with mixer (hand or stand) thoroughly for about 30 seconds. Gradually add the half and half mixture until blended.

Return the mixture to the medium saucepan, cooking over medium heat until steaming. DO NOT BOIL.

Transfer mixture into large bowl and stir in whipping cream, vanilla and salt. Cover and chill thoroughly for at least 6 hours.

Use ice cream maker instructions to churn mixture into ice cream. In the last 3 minutes of freeze time, slowly add graham crackers and apples.

Layer one-third of mixture into a freezer safe container. Drizzle caramel over layer. Repeat for 2 more layers.

Place in freezer until ice cream is of a harder consistency.

Results: My professional ice cream taster at home gave Carmel Apple Pie IN la mode two resounding scoops up!